True enough a double header this weekend. Basingstoke teams of 4 and Pewsey Lake. Must say the reputation of both venues doesn't fall into categories which shout "confidence booster". Still another friend Dave Self said be positive Gaz, its not Pewsey Canal you can be more positive with bait and they love the Bread. Others like team Captain Kev Chubb had practised and weights looked promising.
To the match itself and a horrendous Friday night Saturday morning left Brian and I driving through flood waters to get to the venue. Comments on arrival ranged from good morning, to " this bloody rain can go and do one"; and I must admit the constant cleaning and drying of kit is wearing thin with me as well.
I have not fished the Basey in a long time and when I did it was a true winter fishing grueler. I had never been to the Barley Mow stretch where we were today and it looked promising as arrival signalled a minute respite from the annoyingly constant rain. I drew what was reputed to be a good peg and with the comments of be positive and don't hold back on the baiting I stepped forward to represent my club.
After baiting up with licky bread I lowered in the punch. God don't I wish you could see sub surface before starting. It turns out that despite plumbing all around and not finding any snags I was straight into my first branch of the day. Pulling free snapped the elastic and I had to start again. Never mind I said to myself be positive and you will be rewarded with positive regular bites and a good day.
But as the thunder rumbled low in the distance and the wires above and right of me crackled, giving a grey squirrel a shock and reason to exit from the tree tops. The rain poured and the bites did not come. Three hours in and one tiny roach fry. My wrinkled hands made it look as if I had fallen asleep in the bath and the cold was setting in. Cramp in the calf muscle forced a walk on the towpath which helped circulation for a few minutes, till I hunkered down again determined to catch.
My mind was playing tricks. Was it a wind up from Selfy and Co. The initial cup of liquidised Bread had brought nothing. Should I put more in. Gut feeling said if they are not feeding over that adding more will not help. Maybe pinkie or squat over the bread ? I asked the Bordon angler next to me how he was going; and apart from twigs and branches he had nothing. Buzzer Bernstein next along was struggling with tiny fish for ounces, However, left of him Selfy had a slab and all the anglers to his left had at least one skimmer! I decided to go over the chopped worm and twitch /drag a brandling. Resulting in diddly squat
The match three parts gone. The guy to my right was almost out of view but he was blanking and tow path walkers were passing the message that the section to my right was struggling to catch anything. I have heard it all before and my mind told me they were all bagging and I was knob, who couldn't catch fish if he tried.
I was treated to a Barn Owl landing on the fence posts opposite, but couldn't find my camera to snap the moment. The compost heap of twigs and leaves / branches that I was dragging in tempted me to fish of bottom for a bit to see if the fish were up in warmer thermal layers of the water. Not that it was deep. But worth a try. No joy though. After snagging (even at 12 inches deep!!) and losing a couple of rigs across , the Bran Owl got fed up of the entertainment.
Despite his rain soaked plumage which seemed to be merging his white, sandy and light brown colours into liquid caramel, a burst of spray circled him as he took flight.
A Kodak moment to remember on a shit day.
The last hour saw me flicking between bread, choppy and squat lines trying to make it happen. Fishing on and of the bottom in all swims. Down to a 26 and half a pinkie or single squat I did manage 5 fish in the last 15 minutes to make 2 oz total.
On the scales I weighed them all in and everyone had struggled, guy next to me had fish for 8 oz , Buzzer 40 fish for 13.5 oz. Then came the skimmer boys. All of them had struggled with ounces of tiny squat fish so it depended on the size of the one skimmer.
Last in section I struggled back along the tow path slipping and sliding in the ever constant rain.
Back at the car park I bumped into Ian Spanners Spanswick. Don't ask I said 6 fish 2 oz. Don't sweat it mate I had 3 fish 1 oz!! Not last in section only because some had blanked! Kev, was second last in section with 8 oz, and Brian 3rd last with just over a pound, but he had lost a big Chubb at the net (yes chubb on the canal). We disconsolately piled our drowned gear into the motors and headed home.
..................
Sunday morning saw the gear not dry but dry enough to wear; and I headed to the lake. The mud and filth I am sure is nothing to bitch about consider our friend s in the north, but it does seem the ground can not take another drop,
Will met me with a cheery smile and his latest mug which takes a whole kettle worth of coffee.
We all agreed with the lake not looking inviting hot drinks were probably going to be the order of the day. The draw got underway and I drew peg 7 at the crap end for the 5th time this season. Once again Simon and Brian continued to draw fliers in 12 and 14, in Carp corner!
Never mind it wasn't raining the sky was clear but cold so just settle in and try and do your best. 9.30 and the all in shouted, Will T landed his bomb of a ledger rig with a concrete splash against the far side to my left. 9.31 Will lands a 5 pound Carp. I hadn't even landed a float in the lake!!!!
That's the section gone then.
Lets fish for second place. Nic Worters to my left was landing his ledger with metronomic accuracy as both he Roly Phillips to my right and I set about trying to catch up with Will.
Down at the other end Garry P had landed 2 carp in the first 10 minutes and had over 10 lb already. So it seems the superstars Brian , Simon and Mark Russ would be on the back foot too.
Whilst dry and cold all day the match was a boring grind as I scratched out tiny fish and the others sat it out for a big one. We had a couple of visitors walk the bank and it was good to see Martin Aris who had missed the match through work. A flooded Avon washing his trout hatches into the main river; and Chas Short my friend back from work in Africa for a couple of weeks before going back to the 40 degree heat.
Amazingly at the other end, Gary was still leading with the two Superstars Brian and Simon not a Carp between them!
As the match entered its last 45 minutes they had nothing. Martin came along and saying he was too cold to watch but things had changed Simon had just had three chubb, Brian 2 Carp (one after the other) Mark a skimmer and Neil Pegrum a Bream and a chubb, after balling in.
Oh well that's the silver pools gone then.
As Genesis once sang " Just as I thought it was going alright, I found out I was wrong, when I thought I was right. Its always the same, its just a shame Thats All". And on this cold day the tune rang clear in my head " I could leave but I wont go, though my heart my tell me so, I cant feel a thing from my head down to my toes. Its always the same Thats all."
Stuck it out, and an a derisory cheer from us all greeted the all out. The weigh in began in the slippery winter mud as we all rushed to get home before it did come on to rain. Many of us looking forward, to soup, roast Chicken, Stew or a variety of other dishes that all sound great on this cold day.
Brian adds his one and half pound Perch and bits to his Carp weight as Gary P holds the net bemoaning the loss of 2 further Carp that would have won him the match.
We move along past the Carp end to my section where I couldn't catch enough to catch Will but enough for second in section and 7 points.
Nics gamble on the Carp had failed as all the fish in his swim eluded him. Will had not had another bite all day. Steve had 1 fish for an ounce and Rolys fish amounted to 12 oz and third in section.
But it was that last hour and a 15 minute spell it seemed when the other end switched on and Neil on 10, Marc on 11, Simon on 12 and Brian on 14 did enough to take the money.
No photo you know what they look like its been the same all season.
Fair Play. Draw good peg catch good fish take the plaudits. See you next week, back on the cut for round 2 of Pewsey teams of 4.
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